Building Surveys This page intentionally left blank Building Surveys Sixth edition Peter Glover AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803 First published 1983, as Surveying Buildings Second edition 1990, as Building Surveys Third edition 1996 Reprinted 1998 Fourth edition 2001 Fifth edition 2003 Reprinted 2004 Sixth edition 2006 Copyright © 2006, Peter Glover All rights reserved The right of Peter Glover to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1T 4LP Applications for the copyright holder’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science and Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK; phone: (ϩ44) (0) 1865 843830; fax: (ϩ44) (0) 1865 853333; e-mail: permissions@elsevier.co.uk You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://www.elsevier.com), by selecting ‘Customer Support’ and then ‘Obtaining Permissions’ British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Control Number: 2006925399 ISBN–13: 978-0-7506-8128-5 ISBN–10: 0-7506-8128-4 For information on all Butterworth-Heinemann publications visit our website at http://books.elsevier.com Typeset by Charon Tec Ltd, Chennai, India www.charontec.com Printed and bound in Italy 06 07 08 09 10 10 Contents Dedication x List of illustrations xi Acknowledgements xv Preface xvii Introduction xix Organisation Site notes, field sheets and checklists Equipment Instructions Fees The office Standard paragraphs and phrases Clients 10 12 12 13 13 House surveys 14 Inspection procedures Detailed procedures Dealing with occupiers Anyone for trellis? One hundred typical defects in residential property 14 14 20 20 21 Foundations 24 Design Subsoils Assessment of damage Remedies Drains and foundations Mining and filled ground Landslips and coastal erosion Geological Survey Maps 24 26 29 36 39 40 41 42 vi Contents Walls 43 ‘Mud Huts’ by the sea Brick and stone Cavity walls Mortars and bonding Lintels Wall layout Slenderness ratio Dampness Thermal insulation Sound insulation Wall design Monitoring walls Retaining and freestanding walls Bulging walls 43 44 45 46 46 46 48 50 52 53 53 57 58 62 Floors 63 Suspended timber floors Solid floors Suspended concrete floors Floors generally 63 66 68 69 Roofs and chimneys 70 Life of roof coverings Pitched roofs Flat roofs Thatch Roof coverings in general Detailing Chimney stacks and copings Gutters 70 71 73 74 75 76 77 78 Joinery and woodwork 80 Wood-boring insects Wood-rotting fungi Timber frame construction Preservation Treatment 80 82 83 85 87 Finishes and surfaces 90 Plaster finishes Other wall and ceiling finishes Condensation Tiled surfaces Exterior finishes Risk, probability and asbestos 90 91 92 94 95 95 Contents 10 11 vii Services 98 Goodbye to the loft tank Electricity Gas Water Central heating Drainage 98 99 101 102 103 106 The report 111 Tenses Drafting the report Direct on-site dictation Standard paragraphs and survey management software Disclaimer and exclusion clauses Subsequent dealings with clients Complaints 111 112 112 113 113 115 116 Home condition, homebuyer and other pro forma reports 117 Home Condition Reports Home Inspectors Homebuyer Reports Mortgage Valuation Reports ‘Desk Top’ and ‘Drive Past’ Valuation Reports Energy Rating Reports Properties in possession Part Exchange Reports 117 119 120 121 121 124 124 125 12 Reports on non-residential buildings 126 13 Reports on flats and apartments 131 Types of flat Service charges Tenure in Scotland compared Conversions 14 15 New buildings and buildings under construction 132 133 135 136 138 Horses, carts and the price of land The contract Planning and other permissions Foundation design and subsoil Inspecting the building 138 139 140 141 142 Reports on older buildings 144 The history The defects Local characteristics Building stones 144 148 152 153 viii Contents Mortars Pitched roof coverings Buildings of special interest Grants and penalties 16 Reports on leasehold properties Leases of houses Leases of flats Leases of commercial premises Changes in leasehold law 17 Reports for prospective mortgagees Measured surveys General lending policy Local authority mortgage Leasehold interests Insurance Second and subsequent mortgages Mortgagees in possession 153 154 154 155 156 156 157 158 160 161 164 164 165 166 167 168 168 18 A typical Building Survey Report 169 19 Legal considerations 185 Liability in contract and tort Important and interesting cases Some further points arising out of legal decisions Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 Complaints handling procedures and PI insurance 20 Dilapidations The inspection Statutory dilapidations Conclusion 21 Conservation and the surveyor Conservation principles Preparations for a survey Techniques, structures and materials Planned maintenance and the surveyor Access Further information The use of chemicals in conservation Global warming and woolly thinking 22 The surveyor as expert witness A paradox Surveyors as experts 185 186 200 204 205 205 206 212 213 214 215 215 216 217 219 222 223 225 226 227 227 227 Contents The Civil Procedure Rules The RICS Practice Statement and Guidance Notes Some practical considerations Inspections Preliminary reports Conferences with counsel Meetings of experts Giving evidence in Court Arbitration and other quasi-judicial hearings And finally Glossary Bibliography List of court cases Useful addresses Index ix 228 229 230 230 231 231 231 231 232 233 234 244 247 249 253 Glossary 241 Sarking Sash Underfelting below tiles or slates Sliding inner frame to window Scantling Dimensions of roof timbers Schedule of condition Prepared as evidence at start of lease Schedule of dilapidations Landlord’s claim for breach of covenant to repair Scott schedule List of dilapidations and costings as part of claim for court purposes Screed Cement finish to concrete floor Scrim Hessian type material used to seal joints in plasterwork Second fixing Completion of fittings and services after plastering Self-priming cylinder Hot water tank without header tank Septic tank Private drainage system uses bacterial action to process sewage Serpula lacrymans The true dry rot fungus Sets Small stones used for paving Settlement Shakes Downward movement of structure on site Splits and cracks in timbers following grain Shear Vertical crack due to part of wall moving down Shelling Breaking away of surface to plasterwork or other finish Shingles Thin timber tiles used for roofs and wall cladding Shiplap Overlapping boarding as cladding to external face of wall Shore Steel or timber prop used as temporary support Sleeper wall Under timber ground floor used to support joists Slenderness ratio Calculation of height, width and strength of wall Sleugh Land drain with pipes butted together Snagging Minor building works to be finished off after practical completion Snap headers Half bricks in outer skin of cavity wall replicates solid wall bonding Soakaways Land drains and sumps allowing water to drain into soil Soakers Metal dressing under tiles and flashings Soffit Undersides of eaves behind gutter Soil stack Above ground pipework taking waste water Soldier arch Bricks laid on end as lintel to opening Spalling Flaking away of surface to bricks and tiles Spandrel Space below staircase or over an archway 242 Glossary Spardash Cement render finished with small white stones Spindels Vertical uprights to balustrades and staircase handrails Spine wall Internal wall running front to back Spouting Rain water gutters and downpipes, north of England Sprocket Angled timber at end of rafter lifts bottom tiles Stitch bonding Repair to brickwork, cutting in new bricks Stramit Insulation boarding made from compressed straw Stretcher Brick laid sideways Strings Timbers supporting ends of stair treads and risers Structural survey Strutting Building survey Angled timbers supporting purlins and rafters Stucco Smooth cement rendering as external finish Stud partition Timber frame clad in plaster Subframe Outer part of window frame fixed to wall Subsidence Downward shift of building due to movement in ground beneath Subsoil Material below topsoil which supports foundations Sulphates Chemicals which can cause deteriorating in concretes Swallow hole Collapse of subsoil often chalk Tanking Waterproof lining to cellar or basement Tell-tale Gauge fixed over crack to monitor movement in wall Thermoplastic tiles Rigid plastic tiles used in 1950s Threshold Tie bar Sill to exterior door opening Metal restraint inserted in buildings with end plates on wall Timber-frame houses Load bearing inner skin timber framed Tingles Metal clips holding loose slates Torching Mortar applied under slates or tiles to improve weather tightness Transom Horizontal division in window Trap Bend in waste pipe prevents air from drain passing upward Tread Step in staircase Truss Timber framework as part of roof construction Underpinning Insertion of new foundation beneath existing foundation Upstand Vertical face of flashing or soaker Glossary 243 Valley Lower intersection between two roof slopes Vapour check Polythene or similar material prevents warm damp air entering void Vendor survey Seller commissions surveyor’s report when offering house for sale Verge Sloping edge to gable end wall Vertical damp proof course Used at change of level, around openings to cavity and in basements Wainscot Wooden panelling below dado height around room Wall plate Timber on top of wall supports rafters and joists Wall tie Metal fixing in cavity wall connecting two skins Wattle and daub Weatherboard Weep holes Wet rot Early type of plaster finish for internal walls Overlapping boarding used as external wall cladding Allow drainage from wall cavity or from behind retaining wall Fungal attack to damp wood especially exterior timbers Woodworm Furniture beetle and other wood-boring insects Xestobium rufovillosum Death Watch Beetle Bibliography ‘Handling of Arrears and Possessions: CML Statement of Practice’, Council of Mortgage Lenders ‘Shelling of Plaster Finishing Coats’, Building Research Establishment (BRE) Information Sheet, TIL 14, 1971 ‘Settlement of a Brick Dwellinghouse on Heavy Clay, 1951–1973’, W H Ward, BRE, CP 37/74, February 1974 ‘High-Alumina Cement Concrete in Buildings’, BRE, CP 34/75, April 1975 ‘A Simple Pull-Out Test to Assess the Strength of In Situ Concrete’, BRE, CP 25/77, June 1977 ‘Field Measurement of the Sound Insulation of Plastered Solid Brick Walls’, E C Sewell and R S Alphey, BRE, CP 37/78, March 1978 ‘Foundations for Low-Rise Buildings’, BRE, CP 61/78, September 1978 ‘The Performance of Cavity-Wall Ties’, BRE Information Paper, IP 4/81, April 1981 ‘House Longhorn Beetle Survey’, R Geraldine Lea, BRE Information Paper, IP 12/82, July 1982 ‘Inspection and Maintenance of Flat and Low-Pitched Timber Roofs’, W T Hide, BRE Information Paper, IP 15/82, August 1982 ‘Considerations in the Design of Timber Flat Roofs’, I S McIntyre and D P Birch, BRE Information Paper, IP 19/82, September 1982 ‘Assessment of Damage in Low-Rise Buildings’, BRE Digest, 251, July 1981 (HMSO) ‘The Durability of Steel and Concrete’, Parts 1, and BRE Digest, 263, 264 and 265, July, August and September 1982 (HMSO) ‘Specifications for Roofing Felt’, British Standards Institution (BSI), BS 747, 1977 ‘Metal Ties for Cavity-Wall Construction’, BSI, BS 1243, 1978 ‘Guide to the Choice, Use and Application of Wood Preservatives’, BSI, BS 1282, 1959, Revised 1975 ‘Preservative Treatment for Constructional Timber’, BSI, BS 5268, Part 5, 1977 (supersedes CP 98) ‘Code of Practice for Trees in Relation to Construction’, BSI, BS 5837, 1980 ‘Foundations and Sub-structures for Non-industrial Buildings of Not More Than Four Storeys’, BSI, CP 101, 1972 ‘Structural Recommendations for Load-Bearing Walls’, BSI CP 111, 1970 ‘The Structural Use of Timber’, BSI, CP 112, Part 2, 1971 ‘Roof Coverings: Mastic Asphalt’, BSI, CP 144, Part 4, 1970 ‘Small Sewage Treatment Works’, BSI, CP 302, 1972, 1st revision Revised as ‘Code of Practice for Small Sewage Treatment Works and Cess-Pools’, BS 6297, 1983 ‘Foundations’, BSI, CP 2004, 1972 ‘Building Regulations, and Building Regulations (Amendments)’, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) Bibliography 245 ‘Common Defects in Buildings’, H J Eldridge, Property Services Agency (PSA), Department of the Environment (DoE), HMSO, 1976 Small Claims in the County Court, HMSO Quality in Traditional Housing (Series), R B Bonshor and H W Harrison, HMSO, 1982: Vol 1: Investigation into Faults and Their Avoidance; Vol 2: Aid to Design; Vol 3: Aid to Site Inspection Registered House-Builders’ Handbook, and Practice Notes, NHBC ‘Timber-Framed Buildings’, NHBC Practice Note (1982), Rewritten and Reissued November 1982 ‘Suspended-Floor Construction for Dwellings on Deep-Fill Sites’, NHBC Practice Note 6, August 1973, Revised April 1974 ‘Structural Surveys of Residential Property’, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Practice Note (Surveyors’ Technical Services (STS)) Buying a House? RICS (STS) Guide to House Rebuilding Costs for Insurance Valuation (annual), RICS Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) with British Insurance Association ‘Code of Measuring Practice’, Jointly RICS/ISVA (Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers), 5th edn, 2001 Manual of Timber-Frame Housing (A Simplified Method), (National Building Agency) NBA/TRDA (Timber Research and Development Association), The Construction Press, 1980 ‘Structural Recommendations’, Timber-Frame Housing Design Guide, Section 9, TRDA, 1979 Trees in Britain, Europe and North America, Roger Phillips, Pan Books Ltd, 1978 ‘Building Defects’, The Chartered Surveyor, Supplement, April 1981 ‘Regulations for Domestic Equipment’, Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) Mitchell’s Building Construction (Series), B T Batsford Ltd, Vol 1: Structure and Fabric, Part 1, 2nd edn, 1979; Vol 2: Structure and Fabric, Part 2, 2nd edn, 1977; Vol 3: Materials, 2nd edn, 1978; Vol 4: Components, 2nd edn, 1979 Building Techniques (Series – Science Paperbacks), Chapman & Hall, Vol 1: Structure, 2nd edn, 1979: Vol 2: Services, 3rd edn, 1980 Principles of Element Design, Peter Rich, George Godwin Ltd, 1977 Design Failures in Buildings (Series), First Series 1972, Second Series 1974, George Godwin Ltd The Law and Practice of Arbitrations, John Parris, George Godwin Ltd, 1974 Builders’ Detail Sheets (Series 2), Northwood Publications, 1977 Architects’ Standard Catalogues (Annual) Standard Catalogue Information Services Ltd Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ Price Book (Annual), E & F N Spon Remedial Timber Treatment in Buildings – A Guide to Good Practice and the Safe Use of Wood Preservatives’, HMSO Publications, 1991 Related books from Butterworth-Heinemann, Architectural Press and Laxton’s Altering Houses and small-scale Residential Development, A Bridger and C Bridger, 1998 Architect’s Legal Handbook: The Law for Architects, 7th edn, eds A Speaight and G Stone, 2000 Basic Surveying, 4th edn, R E Paul and W S Whyte, 1997 Building Adaption, J Doughlas, 2001 Building Construction Handbook, 4th edn, R Chudley and R Greeno, 2001 Building Design Management, C Gray and W Hughes, 2001 Building in Value: Pre-design Issues, eds Rick Best and Gerard de Valence, 1999 Computing in Construction: Pioneers and the Future, Rob Howard, 1998 Conservation of Brick, J Warren, 1998 246 Bibliography Conservation of Building and Decorative Stone, J Ashurst and F G Dimes, 1998 Conservation of Historic Buildings, 3rd edn, Sir Bernard Fielden, 2003 Contract Practice for Quantity Surveyors, 3rd edn, J Ramus and S Birchall, 1996 Dampness in Buildings: The Professionals and Home Owners Guide, 2nd edn, E G Gobert and T Oxley, 1994 Dissertation Research and Writing for Construction Students, S Naoum, 1998 Ecology of Building Materials, B Berge, 2000 Economic Analysis for Property and Business, Marcus Warren, 2000 Estimating and Tendering for Construction Work, 2nd edn, Martin Brook, 1998 Estimating for Builders and Quantity Surveyor, Eric Flemming, R D Buchan and Fiona Grant, 2003 Historic Floors, J Fawcett, 2001 Laxton’s Building Price Book Major and Small Works, ed D Adler, 1999 Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data, 2nd edn, ed D Adler, 1999 Remedial Treatment of Buildings, 2nd edn, B Richardson, 1995 Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture, 20th edn, ed D Cruickshank, 1996 Sustainable Architecture, Brian Edwards, 1998 Victorian Houses and their Details, H Long, 2001 List of court cases Note: Page numbers are given at the end of each court case Acrecrest Ltd v W S Hattrell & Partners (a firm) [1 All ER 17, [1982] WLR 1076 192 Anns v Merton London Borough Council [1977] All ER 492, [1978] AC 728 192 *Balcomb v Wards Construction (Medway) Ltd (1981) 259 EG 765 193 Batty v Metropolitan Property Realisations [1978] All ER 445, [1978] QB 554 192 *Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] All ER 118, [1957] WLR 582 190 Bunclark v Hertfordshire County Council (1977) 243 EG 455 27 Cormack v Washbourne [1996] EGCS 196 42 Cross and Another v David Martin & Mortimer 18 November 1988 120 Derby and Co Ltd and others v Wheldon and others (1990) 230 *DoE v Thomas Bates and Son 26 July 1990 189 *Donoghue (or McAlister) v Stevenson [1932] All ER Rep 1, [1932] AC 562 190 Drummond v S & U Stores (1980) 258 EG 1293 158 *Dutton v Bognor Regis Urban District Council [1972] All ER 462, [1972] QB 373 189 *Eames London Estates Ltd v North Hertfordshire District Council (1981) 259 EG 491 192 *Farley v Skinner [2001] The Times 15.10.01 Finchbourne Ltd v Rodrigues [1976] All ER 581 134 *Fisher v Knowles (1982) 262 EG 1083 196 *Fryer v Bunney (1982) 263 EG 158 195 Hancock v B W Brazier (Anerley) Ltd [1966] All ER 901, [1966] WLR 1317 138 Hatfield v Moss [1988] 40 EG 112 207 *Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd [1963] All ER 575, [1964] AC 465 188 *Leigh v Unsworth (1972) 230 EG 501 187 *London & South of England Building Society v Stone (1981) 261 EG 463 194 Mason v Totalfinaelf UK Ltd (2003) EWHC 1604 (ch) (2003) 30 EG 145 (CS) 208 Mather v Barclays Bank Plc [1987] EGLR 254 208 *McGuirk v Homes (Basildon) Ltd and French Kier Holdings Ltd (Estates Times 29 January 1982) 194 *Merret v Babb [2001] EGCS 199 *Morgan v Perry [1973] 229 EG 1737 186 *Multimedia Productions Ltd v Secretary of State for the Environment and Another [1988] EGSC 233 *Murphy v Brentwood DC 26 July 1990 189 Murray v Birmingham City Council [1987] 283 EG 962 210 National Justice Campania Naviera S.A v Prudential Assurance Co Ltd (Ikarian Reefer) 230 Norwich Union Life Assurance Society v British Railways Board [1987] 283 EG 846 210 248 List of court cases *Perry v Sidney Phillips & Son (a firm) [1982] All ER 1005, [1982] All ER 705, [1982] WLR 1297 191 Phillips v Price [1959] Ch 181 211 Pirelli General Cable Works Ltd v Oscar Faber & Partners [1983] All ER 65, [1983] WLR 188 Polivitti Ltd v Commercial Union Assurance Co Plc (1987) 254 Re J 1990 230 Rich Investments Ltd v Cumgate Litho Ltd [1988] EGCS 132 210 *Rona v Pearce [1953] 162 EG 380 190 Scammell v Dicker (2005) EWCA Civ 405 and (2005) 42 EG 236 20 Sidnell v Wilson 1966 210 *Stevenson v Nationwide Building Society [1984] 25 July 1984 197 Straudley Investments Ltd v Barpress Ltd [1987] 282 EG 1224 207 *Treml v Ernest W Gibson & Partners [1984] 27 June 1984 196 *Watts and Another v Morrow [1991] 14 EG 111 198 Whitehouse v Jordan 1981 230 *Yianni v Edwin Evans & Sons (a firm) [1981] All ER 592 [1981] WLR 843 189 *Cases discussed in Chapter 19 Useful addresses Asbestos Asbestos Removal Contractors Association 237 Branston Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffs, DE14 3BT, UK Tel: 01283 531126 Web: www.arca.org.uk Brickwork Brick Development Association Limited Woodside House, Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 2DX, UK Tel: 01344 885 651 Web: www.brick.org.uk Building Research Building Research Establishment Garston, Watford, Herts, WD25 9XX, UK Tel: 01923 664000 Web: www.bre.co.uk Builders Federation of Master Builders Gordon Fisher House, 14–15 Great James Street, London, WC1N 3DP, UK Tel: 020 7242 7583 Web: www.fmb.org.uk Cavity Insulation National Cavity Insulation Association PO Box 12, Haselmere, Surrey, GU27 3AH, UK Tel: 01428 264011 Web: www.ncia-ltd.org.uk 250 Useful addresses Cavity Foam Bureau PO Box 79, Oldbury, Warley, West Midlands, B69 4PW, UK Tel: 0121 544 4949 Cement and Concrete British Cement Association Riverside House, Meadows Business Park, Station Approach, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey, GU17 9AB, UK Tel: 01276 608700 Web: www.cementindustry.co.uk Damp Proofing British Wood Preserving and Damp Proofing Association Gleneagles House, Vernongate, Derby, DE1 1UP, UK Tel: 01332 225100 Web: www.bwpda.co.uk Decorators Painting and Decorating Association 32 Coton Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 5TW, UK Tel: 024 7635 3776 Web: www.paintingdecoratingassociation.co.uk Electrical National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting Vintage House, 37 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7UJ, UK Tel: 020 7564 2323 Web: www.niceic.org.uk Electrical Contractors Association ESCA House, 34 Palace Road, London, W2 4HY, UK Tel: 020 7313 4800 Web: www.eca.co.uk Gas CORGI Elmwood, Chineham Park, Crockford Lane, Basingstoke, RG24 8WG, UK Tel: 0870 401 2200 Web: www.corgi-gas-safety.com Geological Maps British Geological Society Natural History Museum, Earth Galleries, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DE, UK Tel: 020 7589 4090 Web: www.bgs.ac.uk Useful addresses Glazing Glass and Glazing Federation 44/48 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1XB, UK Tel: 0870 042 4255 Web: www.ggf.co.uk Heating and Ventilation Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association Esca House, 34 Palace Court, London, W2 4JG, UK Tel: 020 7313 4900 Web: www.hvca.org.uk New Homes National House-Building Council Buildmark House, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham, HP6 5AP, UK Tel: 01494 723530 Web: www.nhbc.co.uk Zurich Municipal Building Guarantee Department Southwood Crescent, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0NJ, UK Tel: 0870 2418050 Web: www.zurich.co.uk/Municipal/ Plastering Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London, WC1E 7BT, UK Tel: 020 7580 3545 Web: www.fpdc.org.uk Plumbing Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering 64 Station Lane, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 6NB, UK Tel: 01708 472791 Web: www.iphe.org.uk Roofing National Federation of Roofing Contractors 24 Weymouth Street, London, W1G 7LX, UK Tel: 020 7436 0387 Web: www.nfrc.co.uk Structural Engineers Institution of Structural Engineers 11 Upper Belgrave Street, London, SW1X 8BH, UK Tel: 020 7235 4535 Web: www.istructe.org.uk 251 252 Useful addresses Surveyors Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Surveyor Court, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JE, UK Tel: 0870 333 1600 Web: www.rics.org Thatching National Society of Master Thatchers Limited 13 Parkers Hill, Tetsworth, Thame, Oxfordshire, OX9 7AQ, UK Tel: 01844 281208 Web: www.nsmt.co.uk Thatching Advisory Services Ltd The Old Stables, Redenham Park Farm, Redenham, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 9AQ, UK Tel: 01264 773820 Web: www.thatchingadvisoryservices.co.uk Timber Timber Research and Development Association Stocking Lane, Hughenden Valley, High Wycombe, HP14 4ND, UK Tel: 01494 569600 Web: www.trada.co.uk Trees The Arboricultural Association Ampfield House, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 9PA, UK Tel: 01794 368717 Web: www.trees.org.uk Index Acid rain 75 Aircraft noise 11, 200 Anglypta 92 Anobium punctatum 80, 88 Arbitrations 232 Artex 91 Asbestos 23, 90, 95 Ashlar 148 Asphalt 76 Assessment of crack damage 30 Assignment of leases 160 Averaging of claims 167 Balustrades 143 Basements 16, 152 Bedford Park 148 Binoculars BISF houses 61 Black ask mortar 45, 55 Borescopes 11, 55 Boundary disputes 20 Boundary walls 17, 19 Bressumers 17, 46 Breather membranes 84, 85 Bricklaying 223 Brickwork 44, 145, 223 Bridging of damp proof courses 51 Brine extraction 218 Building Cost Information Service 167 Building Regulations 13, 26, 38, 48, 64 Built up felt roofs 73 Bulging walls 30, 32, 62, 220 Calcium silicate bricks 31 Cavity walls 45, 49, 55 CCTV surveys 110 Cellars 16 Central heating 195 Cess Pits 108 Chalk subsoil 26, 41 Check lists Chemicals in conservation 225 Chemical injection dpc 56 Chimneys 16, 77 Chimney breasts 16, 48, 202 Civil procedure rules 228 Clerk of works 194 Close boarded fences 20 Cotswold stone 72 Clovelly 43 Coal mining areas 15, 40 Cob 43, 218 Code of measuring practice 164 Common furniture beetle 80, 88 Commonhold 160 Concrete core samples 10 Concrete floors 68 Concrete walls 55, 133 Condensation 92, 102 Condition ratings 118 Conservation areas 155 Contaminated land 23 Continuing professional development 119 Converted flats 136, 166 Copings 77 Copper 76 Council of Mortgage Lenders 121, 162, 168 Cracks to walls 30 Dampness 50, 78, 112 Damp proof courses 53 Damp proof cavity trays 54 Damp proof membranes 67 Death Watch Beetle 81, 148 Dilapidations 158 Disabled clients 13 254 Index Disclaimers 113 Double glazing 46, 174, 226 Drainage 19 Drains and foundations 39 Drains testing 19, 107 Dry rot 82, 87 Insulating flat roofs 73 Insurance claims 24 Integral garages 68 Interstitial condensation 73 Edwardian houses 53 Electricity 99 Electromagnetic fields 18, 23 Electro-osmotic damp proof courses 51 Endoscopes 11, 55 Energy ratings 118, 124 Ernobius mollis 81 Exclusion clauses 113 Expert witness 209, 227 Ladders Lagging pipes 104 Lath and plaster 90, 112, 175 Lead 75, 102 Leaking drains 28 Leaking plumbing 52, 102, 195 Leasehold reform 156 Lighting for inspections Lightening conductors 222 Lime mortar 128, 153 Lintels 46, 54 Listed buildings 154 Fees 12 Fibreboard 91 Field sheets Finlock gutters 33, 79, 151 Fire escapes 131, 136 Fire walls 197 Flat roofs 17, 70, 73, 83, 135 Fletton bricks 44 Flood risk 23, 167 Flues 176 Following the trail 204 Foundation design 141, 173 Frost damage 95 Galvanic corrosion 103 Gas 101 Geological survey maps 15, 41, 42 Ground clearance 61 Gutters 79 Hammer beams 147 Heave damage 32 Herringbone strutting 65 High Alumina Cement 69, 127, 129, 163 Hoggin 25 Hogging 32 Homebuyer reports xix, 120 Home Inspectors 118, 119 Home Condition Reports 117 Home Information Packs 117 House Longhorn Beetle 81 House Price Index 124 Hylotrupes bajulus 81 Inhibitor 103 Insulating cavity walls 45 Klargester biodisk 109 Manhole covers 9, 17 Mansion flats 157 Marriage value 160 Microbore heating 104, 195 Moisture meters 9, 12 Mortgage valuation reports 121, 203 Mould 93, 94 Movement joints 59, 217 Mundic 202 Nail sickness 72 National House building Council 139, 232 No-fines concrete 55 Non-standard construction 202 Occupiers 20 On site dictation 112, 199 Order of presentation 112 Ordnance survey maps 41 Pagoda effect 33 Parapet walls 58 Partition walls 47 Party walls 38, 214 Pile foundations 27, 28 PI insurance 186, 199, 200, 205 Pitch fibre pipes 109 Plaster 91 Plasterboard 53, 90, 91 Planning permission 13 Ponding on flat roofs 76 Portland cement 153, 219 PRC houses 55, 57 Index Pressure grouting 63, 67 Primatic cylinders 104 Private drains 107 Private sewers 107 Privileged documents 231 Public sewers 106 PVCu 226 Quantities 113 Racking 72, 85 Radon 10, 15, 23 Rammed earth 44 Rate houses 150 Raking shores 39, 47 Rebuilding costs 167 Red Book 121 Residual valuations 139 Restrictive covenants 13, 171 Retaining walls 17, 58 Right to manage 137 Riparian liabilities 15 Roof coverings 70 Roof spaces 16 Roof spread 72 RICS Guidance Notes xix, 25, 109, 113, 135, 157, 229 Rusting reinforcement 56 Sandy soils 24, 26 Sarking felt 71 Scottish law 135 Scott schedule 212 Self priming cylinders 104 Sellers packs 117 Septic tanks 109 Service charges 133 Settlement of walls 29, 31 Settlement of floor slabs 66 Schedule of condition 158, 211 Schedule of dilapidations 166, 206 Shear failure 33 Shear vane testers 10 Shelling plaster 91 Site notes Slates 154 Sleeper walls 65 Slenderness ratio 48 Slip planes 42 Sloping sites 187 Snapped headers 46 Soakaways 106 Soffits 97 Solid floors 51 Sound insulation 53, 131 Spalling bricks 45 Spirit levels 67, 201 Standard text 13, 113 Steel framed buildings 126 Stone 45, 153 Stone cladding 18 Structural engineers 193 Stucco 95 Stud partitions 47 Sub floor ventilation 66 Subsidence insurance 24, 36, 41 Subsoils 141 Tape measures Tell tales 10, 57, 58 Tenses 111 Terms and conditions of engagement 10, 200 Tetanus 20 Thatch 74, 79 Third party liability 13 Thermal movement 31, 57 Thomas Hawkesley 98 Tie bars 48, 224 Timber floors 63 Timber frame houses 83 Traffic vibration 217 Tree roots 18, 27, 36, 201 Trench fill foundations 37 Underpinning 30, 37, 44 Unfair Contract Terms Act 13 Vapour barriers 73, 221 Ventnor 41 Vertical damp proof courses 50 Victorian houses 49, 53 Wall ties 33, 45, 55, 151 Wet rot 82, 87, 196 Wichert 44 Wood burning stoves 105 Woodchip paper 92 Xestobium rufovillosum 81 Zinc 75 Zurich 139 255